Centre for master plan to revamp Jallianwala Bagh

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, May 8

Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma has directed the Tourism Department to prepare a master plan for the overall revamp and development of historic Jallianwala Bagh. Sharma, who is on a visit to the holy city, said the government had planned to host the centennial ceremony here and a master plan was in the pipeline to revamp the historic bagh.

He assured that the development work would be finished before the centenary celebration, proposed to be held in 2019. He elaborated that the massacre of Jallianwala Bagh would be shown through 4D audio and video light and sound show. Besides, reading material of the massacre would be made available to visitors at the memorial.

On his visit to the visitors’ gallery, he found no ceiling fan. So he announced to convert it into an air-conditioned gallery.

He was accompanied by various BJP leaders of the district and Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Malik. Malik brought to his notice that he raised the dismal state of the bagh in the Rajya Sabha. He said the light and sound show with a voice over by legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan had been lying unused for the past four years.

The light and sound show was a hit among spectators visiting the bagh and helped them comprehend one of the most gruesome attacks on unarmed people during the colonial rule and the valour of freedom fighters who refused to cow down before the threats of foreign rulers. The 52-minute light and sound show was discontinued after the system had developed some technical problem a few months ago after its installation.

An 18-minute documentary, which was being shown through a projector daily in seven shows in a 50-seater hall at the park, too lies discontinued for long. The software used for the show is learnt to have developed a snag, which could not be revived to date.

He paid obeisance at Golden Temple and visited the Partition museum.